Gender Stories at the Walker Art Gallery

After Gluck by Jenny Lewis. Part of the UnBecoming series, 2023

The collaborative touring exhibition Gender Stories has just opened at its final venue, the Walker Art Gallery, National Museums Liverpool.

In dialogue with a diverse collection of decorative art, personal stories and objects, the rich selection of portraits in this exhibition traces the spectrum of genders and their expression across time and place. The power of portraits is particularly well-placed to demonstrate how gender intersects with sex, class, sexuality and heritage in this context.

In their different ways, portraits by Catherine Opie, Zanele Muholi and Sarah Biffin interrogate the role art can play in questioning traditional gender roles. A powerful self-portrait by Jenny Lewis entitled After Gluck draws inspiration from Gluck’s iconic 1942 portrait (currently on display at Falmouth Art Gallery) and is juxtaposed with Gluck’s linen smock, on loan from Brighton & Hove Museums.

This exhibition has been created in collaboration with Bristol Museums, National Museums Liverpool and Brighton & Hove Museums. Gender Stories has been created for the Museums and Galleries Network for Exhibition Touring (MAGNET), with Art Fund support, and supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England. It will be on display at the Walker Art Gallery until 31 August 2026.